The Predators
(formerly) Fidelitas Scindere (currently) |unique organisations =Striking Shadows, Deathsworn, Fire Claws, Umizo Heavy Support Elite, Avikelu Terminator Elite, Isivun Assault Bikers |noteworthy successors =Bloodlords (Traitor Insurgos) |colours = Black and Ivory |warcry = }} Hailing from the world of Mardum, hidden deep within the Domain of Storms, did the Predators ascend to bring retribution to all of mankind's foes. Known as remarkable hunters, did the tribesmen of Andezo Sambedi follow their own path, which divided them from their brother Legions. If there was a target to chase down, the Predators were called and did not rest until their prey was annihilated. Regardless if their prey was a ruler, a general or an entire civilization, in the end, all would perish through the use of surgical strikes deep within their own lines. All culminating with a final ambush set by the sons of the Blind Primarch. By making use of fast and precise overwhelming might, did the Predators earn their right as the means by which the Emperor exacted retribution upon his enemies, no matter that they held no such role officially. When the time came to stand against their own brothers, which were led by none other than Icarion, none could say how the Insurrection might turn out for the sons of Mardum: would they be the killing blow, ending this heresy, or would they themselves fall into an unseen trap and face total extinction? Origins and History A striking blade from the shadows, a persistent hunter – the Predators were the sudden and merciless instrument of the Emperor’s justice. Little of their origin seemed to prefigure this, their early record besmirched by ill discipline and bloodlust which would bring them to profound disgrace and the threat of extinction. Still, the first generations of XXth Legionaries had a fearsome reputation as a shock-assault force as well as tireless pursuers and a peerless hunter-killer force, and when their gene-sire took hold of them, this was honed into a weapon to stand proudly alongside their cousins. Swift action and a joy for the rush of combat and clash of blades became the hallmarks of their battles, tempered by a strong code of honour, both primal and sophisticated, which Andezo Sambedi wrought into his sons. Under his rule, they became the Great Crusade's pathfinders, those who stalked the stars before all others, weakening the strong so that they might fall more easily to those who followed. Yet, while the Predators rose at last to glory, seeds taken from their new home world of Mardum bore fruit in a streak of mysticism that permeated their culture. While others saw only a devotion to the Imperium and the Master of Mankind, the Predators took it upon themselves to pursue hidden objectives. In time, their noble intent would lead them to terrible deeds, in a quixotic betrayal of their own ideals, and ruin would become their enduring legacy. 'Blood of the Vessorid' From their beginning, most of the young Legions of the Legiones Astartes fought in lockstep, brother beside brother, to bring the galaxy into compliance. For some, these were tales to be proud of and the beginning of long lasting honors and rights. Others on the other hand did have certain difficulties like flawed gene-seed, which needed to be cured or great losses sustained on campaign, necessitating great efforts at replenishing their numbers. However, for the last of the twenty Legions, the difficulties came from a quite different direction: within their own ranks. The first members of the XXth Legion were recruited from tribes of the rugged climes of Zealandia, fractious satraps of the Pan-Pacific Empire until it grew too weak to constrain them. They were forced to subsist in a volatile climate, but the strongest survived and founded a civilisation of raiders, plundering those who had so recently subjugated them. In doing so, these tribes, who named themselves the Vessorid, became potent combatants. Comparable to the northern Xeric tribes of the Asiatic Dustfields, they were masters of rapid assaults, combined with relentless fury, battling ceaselessly for possession of scant natural resources. Once they were brought to heel by the Emperor, His Thunder Warriors and the Lightning Bearers, the tribes were forced to render up their firstborn sons to the Emperor's gene-forges, and upon their ascension to the nascent Legiones Astartes, these same sons were then used to ensure and enforce the continued Imperial Compliance of their fractious kin. The Vessorid warriors proved well-suited to the Emperor's vision, though some observed their propensity for cruelty when ordered to attack, as well as a disdainful attitude to those they considered weak. An observed lack of cohesion in their ranks led Korvost Sahaal of the Lightning Bearers to question their suitability as recruits, but at the time most figures in the emerging Imperial high command focused on their aggression and swiftness. With the rise of the VIth, VIIth and XIVth Legions fulfilling most demands for disciplined Astartes, other purposes may have been on their minds. That of retribution, perhaps; for that was the first use that the Emperor put His final Legion. Several of those polities who had bent their knee to the Emperor had done so out of necessity, and feigned submission whilst seeking to subvert the newborn order to regain their autonomy. A few, who had a greater understanding of the self-proclaimed Master of Mankind but did not know enough to obey, coveted the overlordship of Terra and made designs upon His throne. The result of such ambition and resentment was a wave of rebellions and plots in the waning centuries of the Unification Wars. The Jurfik Rising is infamous among these, along with the psychic rituals and bloodletting of the Rapnui Outrage and the Olawite Youth-Drinkers. But for each massive uprising, there were a score of smaller insurgencies and revolts, and while several Legions took a hand in enforcing the rule of Unity, two Legions were entrusted with most of this work. One was the XVth, the band of patient killers and subtle tormentors. The other was the XXth, and they soon demonstrated an altogether more straightforward style of punishment. This began at Canare, whose soldiery had been corrupted by cultists intent on resuming their heretical practices. Imperial functionaries were murdered, along with any civilians who resisted the madness. Canare was sealed off from the rest of the world, guarded by two million troops. The response was no gradual bleeding of the rebels, but a hammerblow. Six thousand Astartes of the XXth Legion arrived in a single armoured column, broke the gates and torched the city. The Imperium reclaimed Canare as a charred husk. In this way, the XXth Legion soon earned a reputation as merciless heralds of Imperial justice, putting several such more rogue nations and cities to the blade and torch. At this time, the Imperial hold upon Terra was still fragile, and as the Emperor went to add Mars, Jupiter and other spheres to His realm, the excesses of the XXth were either overlooked or simply expected. Their uncompromising approach to suppression would be called upon on dozens more worlds in the years to come. To this end, the Legion was frequently split into individual companies, and it seems that the fractiousness of the Vessorids reared its head at this time, officers competing to establish their authority. Duels, sometimes lethal, were not unheard-of within the ranks. Criticisms emerged from their allies, of a Legion unwilling to compromise or cede authority to any other. Still, the XXth thrived and grew, though partitioned across the expanding border of the Imperium. Their power was still sufficient to destroy many of the Emperor’s foes, and often complaints often went unheeded in the vastness and frenzy of the growing interstellar empire. Barbarians in Ceramite For much of the next dozen years, the XXth Legion was kept divided, lacking the coherent character of the Storm Riders and Juggernauts, and often serving a weapon of reprisal against those who shirked the gift of Unity. Divided into several forces of chapter or battalion strength, their numbers and stock of wargear steadily expanded. Given the still-developing Munitorum and Administratum, and as every Expeditionary Fleet of the XXth Legion recruited and grew on its own, it was not easy to capture their overall strength in numbers. Some splinter forces had recorded levels of nearly 3,000 at the Battle of Shun-Hagal and others about 7,000 active Astartes at the start of the Komaki Landing campaign. Each fleet took recruits from wherever they could get them, often requisitioning entire generations of youths from the worlds they subdued, and the high stability of their gene-seed was soon well established. However, scattered as they were and with the XXth’s bellicose way of war, recruitment only slightly outstripped their losses, and they were not favoured with the Mechanicum’s finest output. Given this relatively small size - Legions such as the Godslayers and the Morning Stars numbered thrice and four times respectively - they often served alongside other Legions and large Imperialis Auxiliaries forces in major campaigns or were entrusted with smaller, often bloody missions to destroy particular knots of enemy resistance in shock assaults. Over time, the Astartes of the XXth Legion also developed a particular expertise in conducting rapid hunter-killer and retribution operations, particularly in urban conditions. During this period, when many other Legions were adopting liveries and slowly forging their own martial traditions, the XXth notably maintained a curiously varied appearance, with each fleet starting to enact their own honor marks and highly varying color schemes and markings of combat role and tactical division. During the earliest years of the Great Crusade, the tendency of the XXth of construing their mission goals as they wished led to the inclusion of a far larger number of Disciplinary troops than almost any other Legion, barring perhaps only the REDACTED in their infancy. Increasingly however, the Opsequiari became irrelevant in the worst way, as arrogance and savagery captured the commanding heights of the XXth Legion. Now, though they continued to conquer, the blots upon their honour grew. Each Lord Commander sought to assert his primacy by violence, both against enemy forces and his own kind. Honour duels became increasingly common with other Legion forces, and frequently ended in severe injury or death for the losing party. Allied Auxilia met with the threat of violence, and often the act, if they questioned their treatment by the Legion or its grisly conduct. The worlds they brought to the Imperial banner had no fondness for the new order, and required great effort to keep under the yoke. To onlookers, something in the very psyche of these warriors was degenerating. The lack of a Primarch’s steadying hand on them had become, perversely, something they took pride in compared to the “spayed” Vth and XIXth. Such unrestrained aggression, though it sufficed to carry the day against human and alien alike, was losing its usefulness. Other Legions, akin to them in their capacity for violence but better able to restrain themselves and act with precision, better served the Emperor’s justice. Calls for the XXth to be censured built up steadily, dismissed by the Legion themselves as weakness of spirit, even as their divided nature and reckless methods led to slowly spiralling losses. The Shame of the XXth Aftter nearly a century and a half, the Legion’s self-inflicted troubles culminated in the Ulgion Rebellion, which marked their nadir during the Great Crusade. The world of Ulgion, only recently brought to Imperial Compliance, had declared open rebellion against the Imperium's rule. Due to the world's high industrial value, the XXth had not been assigned the task of suppressing this rebellion; indeed the embattled governors had made a point of requesting aid from elsewhere and had been answered. Antonidas, First Captain of the Scions Hospitalier, had brought a force of his brothers and their auxiliaries to halt the unrest. But Kallast, then Master of the XXth Legion by dint of killing his predecessor, scorned his counterpart’s approach and vowed to show the people of Ulgion true retribution. The majority of the XXth were called together, by the only warrior who could bend them all to his will, and set loose. Antonidas could not convince his equal to desist, and what began as a surgical strike against the renegade government's palaces in the capital city rapidly degenerated into a killing spree as the XXth moved out into the wider city, with intent to eradicate the city’s inhabitants despite the end of the fighting. Spreading across Ulgion Prime, they began to slaughter all they encountered, to the extent that the preservation of the civilian population and industrial capacity of the city was put at risk. Only when the Scions Hospitalier barred their path and demanded that the XXth stand down was the slaughter halted. A longtime critic of the XXth Legion, Antonidas had resolved to draw a line in the sand. Rather than void his oath to Pionus Santor - that the rebellion would be subdued cleanly - he ordered his warriors to bar the way into the central hab-districts, threatening violence against their cousins. But even then, the blood-bathed Legionaries of the XXth defied him. Kallast stepped forward and challenged Antonidas, mocking the First Captain. Antonidas stood his ground and returned his counterpart's scorn. Finally Kallast demanded an honour duel - to the death. Against the protestations of his warriors, Antonidas accepted and, through his clinical self-control, bested and slew the master of the XXth. The Scions then faced down Kallast’s men over the corpse of their master, ready to execute their cousins should they not make an end to the bloodshed. After a moment of hesitation, the XXth caved in and returned to their ships. Antonidas never referred to the incident in public, regarding the act of kinslaying as a necessary but grave sin. With the Emperor enraged by the unnecessary casualties, the loss of Ulgion's productivity and outright hostility between two Legions, the XXth Legion were summoned to the world of Concor Tertius. Detachments of Lightning Bearers and Eagle Warriors arrived to serve as witnesses and, as they embodied the twin sigils of the Emperor's authority, a symbolic rebuke to their cousins. Finally there came one other Legion whose identity is unknown, but who are spoken of in darker terms; an axe to fall should to Emperor decree it. On the barren earth of this pitiless world, accompanied by some of their most vehement critics, the Emperor confronted His last Legion. There were many who implored Him to disband an army who wasted His resources and soiled the name of the Great Crusade. The Emperor did not take this path, but His words for the XXth were full of condemnation. With the force of His unrivalled will, the Master of Mankind had them abase themselves in the dirt of Concor Tertius. They were given a year to right themselves and prove worth of their mantle. With no obvious leader to unify them, the Legion fell to further infighting within their encampment under the appalled eyes of the Emperor’s retinue. The Legion seemed set to end its own existence without any further assistance. Brother fought against brother, trying to gain the upper hand. Before the Emperor and his cadre of advisors could react, a voice rang out; a young captain of the XXth Legion calling for an end to the madness. His name was Cassus and he demanded an end to this madness once and for all, beating bloody any who contested his writ, but not slaying them. Cassus spoke to his brothers of the glories they had sacrificed on the altar of misplaced pride. He raged at their folly, denouncing the wilful ignorance of how the Imperium was changing around them. The Legion’s myth of itself as unconstrained and peerless had brought them to this state. Now they must renounce their folly. With the bulk of the Legion under his control, Cassus was given a last chance by the Emperor Himself to redeem his Legion. Else the XXth Legion would be withdrawn from service, effectively going dormant until such time as their Primarch emerged to master them - and with no guarantee that its current members would be preserved for that time of renewal. The Penitent Crusade Cassus led his brothers into a campaign of renewed intensity, which bordered on a self-imposed exile. The new Legion Master was unrelenting, often driving them far beyond the main front of the Crusade and always seeking out the vilest foes. Bleak ire defined the battle-brothers of the Legion in this period, their old scorn and rage turned inward and then vented upon whatever stood in their way. The campaign logs of the Ebon Blades, as Cassus had named the XXth to further their unity, testify to the Compliance of a score of human civilisations during his command, alongside the destruction of many more xenos enclaves. Few fought alongside them at this time except their serfs, bonded Mechanicum elements and a few bold or desperate Rogue Traders, and the bloody progress of the Ebon Blades is mostly known from the records of those who followed them. Cassus did not intend his Legion’s suicide with these campaigns, whatever some thought or hoped at the time. The truly insurmountable enemies were bled and left for the oncoming Imperial juggernaut, as when the Ijlam xenohold was hit with repeated ambushes before a Godslayers-led assault. The teeming Orks of the Hulben Shoals were led by persistent raids into conflict with several abhuman empires, enabling the Warbringers to cleanse the Shoals of all their hostile occupants in two solar months. In this way several conquests were achieved, but the XXth held themselves apart, shirking glory, and while the Legion's numbers remained relatively stable, there was little sign of them gaining greater relevance. But ultimately, this path would lead them to the beginning of another. Answering the call of a Mechanicum warp-runner, the Ebon Blades cleansed a nameless and ruined Forge World of the hideous alien Muloka. Descending into the depths of the planet towards the end of the purge, a company of Legionaries happened across a rare find: an intact siege crucible of the Mechanicum. None of the occupants had survived, human enough to die from privation and cold, but the tech-priests travelling with the Legion could still extract valuable data from their fallen comrades. This was duly committed to the great trove of knowledge, and some of it shared with the Ebon Blades. Some of it interested them, like the tactical logs compiled on the Muloka and other xenos species. Other parts were overwhelmingly technical, and thus of tangential importance at best. But then the reports from the cult’s long-lost fleet came to light, and something stirred in the souls of Cassus’ warriors at the name of a world identified in reconnaissance missions. A warp-runner like the one whose search had brought them here had roamed the nearby systems, seeking worlds which held raw material and technology. It had found several which showed promise, and though follow-up expeditions had never occurred, its cursory analysis of them was recorded. On one of these where the Warp ran close to the surface, in among the more mundane readings, was a single ætheric signature of peculiar potency. Even considering the clearly Warp-touched nature of the world, this was quite singular. We cannot know that if the Ebon Blades recognised its importance immediately or cross-referenced it with certain other findings, which had presaged momentous events for other Legions. Some of us, however, who can no longer shrug off the notion of destiny as superstition, imagine that the warriors of the XXth Legion felt the hand of history settle heavily upon them. The news was communicated to the Legion Master at the highest priority, and upon hearing it, Cassus ordered part of the fleet to ready itself for departure and send an astropathic missive requesting the Emperor’s attention. While some remained to guard what the Explorators had named Lithia, Cassus’ ships lit their keyed their Warp drives. Several worlds had been catalogued in the ancient records, some with the suggestion of archeotech deposits, but the Legion ignored these for now and instead set course for a Feral World named Mardum. In the Wilds of Mardum Mardum was one of the truest examples of a Feral World ever found, where the bones of Dark Age civilisation had been grown over by a more primal mien. Ancient hive cities reared up from desert and jungle, many of them colonised by flora and fauna. The world’s sister, Abassi, turned lifeless in the void, shattered in the Age of Strife. The memory of what once was existed only as allegory and myth in Mardumian minds. Man had no chance to rebuild, for the tropical regions which made up so much of the landmass teemed with life, including a staggering range of predatory megafauna. With the forging of steel and the working of stone the limits of native technology, Mardumians stood among the apex predators, ever fighting to survive. Tribe warred upon tribe, and pitted sword and spear against their rivals both human and animal. There were those tribes who, as others remained nomadic, raised cities of stone, ruling from these Cambodia fending off the incursions of their neighbours. To one such tribe, the people of Sambedi in the southern forests, Andezo came. The comet-streak of his birthing pod was recognised as a momentous omen, and the Baron Sambedi himself sought out the fallen star. He found a child, blind but unimpeded, clearly possessed of great psychic power. Andezo was the name given to the boy by Sambedi’s shaman, for it had impressed itself into the psyker’s mind upon seeing the young Primarch. This was reflected in the way Andezo conducted himself; his self-image appears to have been as an agent of fate as much as his own will. He served his adopted father as warrior and hunter, making the land safe for his people. At his own request he was inducted into the shaman orders which spanned Mardum, and turned his eyes to Mardum’s most insidious threat. For the aether was ever close to the surface on Mardum, and the Neverborn slipped through the cracks occasionally to take a form of flesh and spread suffering. It was said that a single one of sufficient power could slay a tribe or bring a settlement to anarchy, and there were enclaves where no man trod, for their power was strong and their appetites ruinous. In the territories of man, only the vigilance of the shaman kept them at bay. Andezo, the youth who saw without sight, perceived Warp entities as a stain upon his senses. Perhaps more than any other Primarch, he associated them with the same powers that had scattered the Primarchs and delivered him to this world. Whatever the truth, he deemed them his enemy without reservation, and set himself the task of freeing Mardum from their grip. So the young Primarch submitted himself willingly to the rigours of teaching and trials at the hands of the shaman, mastering his psychic gifts even as he learned to wield sword, spear and shield. Likewise he took the fleet saurian beasts his people used for skirmishing cavalry and bred them for strength as well as speed, producing the first heavy cavalry Mardum had known. By the time Andezo grew to adulthood he was his father’s champion and councillor, a man with a foot in the two worlds that formed Mardum. At the same time, he was undeniably something quite unprecedented on Mardum; a man with the means and will to hunt daemons. With this goal in mind, Andezo set about imposing unity on the tribesmen of Mardum. He warred at his father’s behest, but equally he advocated trade and diplomacy, to the extent that Mardum possessed these. Often he served as ambassador; his legend was well-established at this time, and there were few in any tribe who disregarded the giant’s words as his reputation grew. Andezo took the finest hunters and the most learned shaman from all the tribes sworn to Sambedi into the shadowed reaches. From the overgrown pinnacles of ancient hive cities to catacombs which lay beneath arid desert, his bands of chosen men and women ventured through the wilderness and confronted the nightmares of their world. No small number were sacrificed to the ravages of the neverborn, but time and again Andezo and his warbands prevailed, and something of the pall which seemed to hang over parts of Mardum was banished. When the Ebon Blades came upon Mardum, they found a lord and sage of the wild world, who was more than ready to accept their fealty. Andezo, many suspect, had discerned some truth in the myths of Mardum’s folk being cast from the heavens, and may well have suspected the purpose of his creation. However close to the mark these suspicions are, it is certain that Andezo needed no persuading to join his father’s Crusade, and took to it with as much fervour as any of his brothers. The Hunting Spears The Baron of Mardum’s education was short but comprehensive, and he readily grasped the technological might of the Imperium. Notably Andezo went without the customary return to Terra, although it is noted that he and the Emperor spent time on several subsector capitals. During this time, the XXth were recalled in full and Andezo's favoured Mardumian followers underwent the trials and dangers of Ascension. The Emperor, with the XXth’s history in mind and urged on by several of His generals, had resolved to test both the Primarch and Legion in conjunction. Once Andezo’s education was complete, the Emperor called the Legion to His side along with the Iron Bears for a campaign on the Eastern Fringe. Imperial gene-wrights descended on Mardum to raise up a new generation of Astartes, while the Legion, Andezo at their head, followed the Emperor into war. Daer’dd in turn would prove an important influence on Andezo, teaching him many of the subtleties of generalship. After half a decade at the side of his father and brother, Andezo was turned loose to make war independently, a sure sign of his qualities and the Legion’s own efforts to find redemption, finally bearing fruit. Where the barbarians had once roved the Galaxy, a changed army now stalked the stars, proudly bearing the varied symbols of Mardum. They were just as capable of violence, but shackled to a code of fierce honour, and tempered by a Primarch’s will. Andezo retained aspects of what had gone before, and reintegrated elements of the Principia Bellicosa which his sons had discarded. But the most numerous and substantial changes he made were born of Mardum, not least the tribal structure he built into the Legion, where once there had been Chapters. Each Tribe maintained its own recruiting territories and developed a distinct variation on the Legion’s tactical doctrine, but were bound together at their roots by fealty to the Primarch. Mardum was not changed actively by the Primarch after he assumed command, though development proceeded gradually by the Mardumians’ own efforts. For now, it remained a crucible which produced the warriors Andezo desired; fierce, resourceful and loyal to one another. The Legion’s infrastructure grew elsewhere in the system, while tech-priests of Hephaesta established an enclave on the fractured surface of Abassi, to delve for relics and build forges that would serve the newly renamed Predators. Andezo’s first campaign as master of the XXth was to serve as a statement to the wider Imperium, for he elected to take his sons into battle against the Ligoram Empire. Taking a great number of auxiliary forces into the campaign, not least of them Titan maniples of the Legios Timerum and Periphet, he intended to serve notice that not only were the XXth’s days as unreliable allies done, but so were their years of penance. The Predators would now rise to take their appointed station, earning the honour that had always been meant for them. Under Andezo’s leadership, the Predators overran the Ligoram armies in a conquest which was explosive and crushing in its violence, but with none of the massacres which some of the Legion’s old critics had expected. Aggression which had once been indiscriminate was now kept on a tight leash, and no more did the Legion waste its strength on shows of dominance. The missions of retribution were undertaken, but alongside them were conquests in which the Predators’ worth was witnessed and testified to by their brother Legions at last. Strange and inscrutable they may have become, but their honour was evident to all. Nowhere was this more evident than when the menace of the Rangdan arose to trouble the Galaxy for the last time. Andezo gathered almost the full strength of his Legion to meet the resurgent threat to the north, and much of the Predators’ strength was broken in the sector-spanning war. Among the dead was Cassus, killed in a desperate holding action on Rehisik Eta, but the former Legion Master went to his end vindicated. Just as the Imperium prevailed, the Predators emerged from the abyssal war battered but with their unity in no doubt. Andezo was heralded thereafter as one of the Four Helriders, a figure who was regarded with little warmth, but growing respect by the soldiers and leaders of the Crusade. Accessible evidence of the Fourth Xenocide - that which is not sealed away - suggests that the Predators were largely withheld from the bio-pogroms which served as the Xenocides’ epilogue, and their strength quickly rebuilt and then expanded with the stock of Mardum and other worlds. The Predators Arisen Further victories followed, including an important role for the Legion in the Qarith Crusade. While they were absent from the Reckoning on Qarith Prime, primarily engaged in chapter-scale xenocide operations, they won acclaim and were present in large numbers at the Triumph. This in itself was a mark of how far they had come; few could imagine the old XXth being suffered to attend such a celebration. By this time the Legion was profoundly altered, with some Terrans remaining but emphatically outnumbered by the sons of Mardum and the Predators’ other tributary worlds. One such change which slowly crept into the Legion was the mysticism with which Mardumians continued to treat the psykers in their midst. Their Librarius changed little in substance and structure, but it was noted by others of their kin that the rationalistic dogma of the Imperial Truth was not adhered to as much as might have been desired. Also of note, and some consternation, was the willingness of Andezo and his sons to seek out and purge Warp-tainted worlds, which threatened to upset the hidden workings of the Ghost Crusade and the other campaigns waged against the Primordial Enemy. But with the mood of the day, such things were left to one side, a matter to be dealt with when the Imperium’s total victory was closer to hand. Many foes remained, and in fighting psychically powerful foes the Predators proved almost as adept as the Pariah Legions. In particular they became among the Imperium’s finest practitioners in combatting the Weirdboy caste of Orks, destroying a number of Waaagh!s in which these volatile psykers were abundant. The manifold hosts of the Imperial Army treated the Predators with the same mix of awe and fear that they had for the Void Eagles, but the old hatred abated. Now it was said that a soldier of the Crusade need have no fear of the Predators unless he should fail to do his duty. For the renegade and traitor, the story was entirely different; the Predators prosecuted their wars against these just as savagely as their predecessors, and from 979. M30 the number of such retribution campaigns increased markedly. Relations with the Predators’ cousins were distinctly varied, though this constituted a great improvement. Some, such as the Scions Hospitalier and Godslayers, seemed to view them with some ambiguity, perhaps unable to decide just where they lay between barbarism and the status of worthy soldiers. Others such as the Iron Bears and Crimson Lions enjoyed an easier friendship with the Predators, while the Warbringers never lost their distaste for the XXth, a sourness that only increased after Andezo spoke at the Vizenko Prosecution. Little evidence is left to determine the extent of Icarion’s overtures to Andezo, but it is clear that from an early stage, they were named as a force that it would be safer to destroy than try and suborn. The Predators fought free of the trap, and for much of the Insurrection their loyalty and unity were unquestionable. But the seeds which Mardum’s shadowed past left them with were slowly germinating, and in time their poisoned fruit would give rise to one of the vilest twists to the Insurrection’s tale. But that tragedy’s consequences would run far beyond the XXth Legion, and so its place is in another chronicle. Legion Organisation and Structure Prior to Andezo’s arrival at the helm, Cassus had been hard at work to rebuild the devolved structure of his Legion. Andezo took this process and steered it in a new direction, creating something steeped in the tribal structures of Mardum as well as drawing on the example of other Legions. Fourteen Tribes therefore took the place of chapters, although Andezo preserved the regiments which Cassus had innovated, and squads and companies remained the essential basis of the Legion’s structure. Each Tribe had as its focal point a Mardumian nation or Tribe which had served Andezo, and exercised their own recruitment rights along with extensive operational autonomy. Certain cultural differences would in time emerge as Terran identities were largely supplanted - though a few Tribes retained recognisable elements of this, particularly those where Cassus’ influence had been strongest. Whether Mardumian or Terran, such legacies would greatly influence each Tribe’s course. The Chiefs who led these bodies were, however, possessed of complete authority over their warriors, for they derived it from their gene-sire. Each used it to shape his forces to his own liking, leading to striking divergences in their composition; no nominal strength or composition was mandated by Andezo. The impetuous Skyspear Tribe leaned heavily on aerial units, while the brooding Skullrippers fielded an outsized number of seeker squads and gave rise to the elite Striking Shadows. Most powerful and renowned of these Tribes were the Ebonspear, the sons of Sambedi and Andezo's constant companions. Such elite bodies as the Avikelu Terminators and Umlizo heavy weapons specialists were present here in numbers that outnumbered their peers elsewhere. Thus the Ebonspear gives us perhaps the clearest picture of Andezo's ambitions for his sons, though each Tribe developed so when the Primarch wielded them together, they would complement one another’s strengths. The tendency towards close combat which marked the old XXth was no less prevalent now, but Andezo added to this a concentration of assault bikes which echoed the saurian heavy cavalry of Mardum. Mobility was ever a concern on his home world, and he had grasped the potential of such vehicles early on in his education, no doubt reinforced by his time fighting alongside the Iron Bears. In contrast, the Legion’s artillery train was relatively short, a factor which made it necessary for several Tribes to request assistance from outside forces when siege warfare proved necessary. There were exceptions to this rule however in the Steel Born and Bloodhand Tribes, the former of whom were often called upon by Andezo or their brothers for their reason. Other Tribes turned to the Ordo Reductor covenants of Iyacrax and Hephaesta, who became permanent fixtures in their fleets. Perpendicular to the Legion’s commanders was its mingled hierarchy of wise men. The Librarius, Apothecarion and nascent Chaplain order were cross-pollinated in a way that went beyond even the changes made by the Crimson Lions and Iron Bears. The Gueda, as these officers were known, served as advisers and keepers of the Legion’s lore, as well as its recruiters. The Armorium, however, stood apart from this body; Mardumians accorded little mystery to mundane weapons even before Andezo took to the stars, and their manufacture and upkeep a matter of simple practicality. War Disposition The Predators’ strength at the outbreak of the Insurrection is hard to ascertain, given their insular nature and scattered fleets, but is believed they stood in the range of 125,000-140,000, divided unevenly between their Tribes and spread across several adjacent warzones. Mardum provided the bulk of their manpower, but the serf population on Abassi also offered up recruits, and four more systems made oaths of tribute in honour of their deliverance by the Legion. While they were willing to share campaigns with Auxilia forces, the Predators were not eager to bring them within their order of battle. Following the example of the Fire Keepers, they raised tributary armies from the worlds they controlled, who would support them on the field and often man the Legion’s war machines, thereby freeing up the Predators to wield their transhuman power to its full. Additional support was provided by bonded tech-covenants from Hephaesta, whose siege-automata counterbalanced the preponderance of close-combat Dreadnoughts in the XXth. In terms of matériel, the Legion wanted for little. The forges established on Abassi catered to most of their needs, manifesting in a range of divergent armour patterns by which the Legion were recognised. Hephaesta and Iyacrax made up any shortfall or gaps in their arsenal, these being super-heavy tanks and artillery for the most part, while the Legion’s own forges tended towards faster and lighter tanks and speeders. The two Forge Worlds also provided the bulk of the Legion’s fleet from the time of Andezo’s accession, having finally replaced the strength it had lost in the Qarith Crusade. Even in 030. M31, the composition of this flotilla testified to their old status as outriders, with frigates and destroyers outnumbering their capital ships by as many as five to one. Of the Legion’s 74 known capital ships, most were strike cruisers geared towards warfare in the nomad predation pattern, sufficiently armed to destroy their chosen prey swiftly and enough to evade what they could not overcome. Andezo’s flagship, the Baron of Death, was likewise one of the fastest of the Gloriana class, but its offensive power bespoke his intention to greatly amplify the might of his fleet. Throughout his early years of command Andezo had been seen to make deft use of the Imperial Army and Mechanicum’s behemoths in void war, enabling the Predators to engage far larger enemy fleets than previously. Nonetheless he wanted such power directly in the hands of his commanders. The creation of the Screaming Fist and Nychas Umbral had presaged a new wave of powerful battleships and grand cruisers. This would become the new core of the fleet, a long process that was still ongoing when the Insurrection began. As with many of the Legion’s assets, such vessels were unevenly distributed and mostly went to the most powerful Tribes like the Steel Born and Storm Claws. It is also noted that when a ship could be allocated to a Tribe before construction began, a Chief was permitted to make his preferences known. 'The Tribes of Mardum' *'Ebonspear' - Great hunters, led by Adewálé, the tribe in which Andezo was raised, deep connection to Mardum and its flora & fauna, unified and pacified Mardum, fought against the forces of Shaka and Andezo and was annihilated during the battle of Mardum Phantom Blade, coordinated assaults including artillery, fast units (mostly air units and vehicles) and infiltrators, the last Terran-born members of the XXth Legion, led by Thoruk, strong desire for honor and glory, strong honor code, see themselves as the embodiment of the Emperors will, disappeared after the battle of Mardum. *'Skullripper' - Infiltrators, decorate themselves with shrunken heads of their slain enemies, joined the Black Raiders. *'Bloodlords' - Deriving from the deep swamps of their homeworld of Mardum, these members of the XXth Legion never made the attempt to lay down their old habits and rituals of their ancestors. The tribes of the Mardumian swamps were known and feared for their dark belief. Rumours of them still practising blood rituals and other insidious traditions quickly spread among the rest of the Legion until their gene father Andezo Sambedi was forced to act. Censuring the whole Bloodlord tribe, he sends them on a penitent campaign under the watchful eye of one of his closest brothers, Ixiptatlan. It was him, who offered his help in dealing with the rebellious tribe. Attached to the ranks of the Eagle Warriors, the Bloodlords shall learn discipline and to follow the Imperial Truth. Unknown by Andezo, it was not his beloved brother, who offered his help. It was a more sinister being. Soon, the Bloodlords learned the ways of the Dark Gods and openly celebrated their ancient beliefs. Blood sacrifices, dark magic, mighty tokens and even cannibalism made their way back to the sons of Mardum. Through their bloody beliefs, they soon heard voices from beyond, ordering them to slay and murder. It did not take long until Chieftain Odanka and his man gave into the whispers, opening their souls to the entities of chaos. The Bloodlords were reborn into the service of Khorne, becoming a Daemonkin host. Odanka, now known as the Devourer, led his men at the side of Ixiptatlan until they finally met their fate in the form of the Ebonspear tribe - former brothers of the Predators Legion during the Siege of Terra - and were wiped out. *'Bloodhand' - Along the Goredrinker, the Bloodhand was known for its savage assaults and bloodshed, annihilated on Terra. *'Goredrinker' - Along the Bloodhand, the Goredrinker was known for its savage assaults and bloodshed, survived Terra and became fierce followers of Khorne, rumored to have been cannibal (even while officially called loyal). *'Black Conda' - Known for launching lightning assaults assault via bikes infiltrators, like the Ebonspear, the Black Conda are deeply connected to the flora and fauna of Mardum, tamed and took a lot of Mardumian Predators as their combat companions, disappeared after the battle of Mardum. *'Plainrunner' - Notable for their use of bikes and tanks, known as being honorable and closely tied to many other Legions, annihilated previous to Terra *'Skyspear' - Air assaults, believed in their superiority in aerial combat, annihilated above Terra Spirit Breaker, many shamans (librarians), obsessed in learning more about Chaos and how to defeat it, was ultimately corrupted by Tzeentch. *'Soul Eater' - Void combat, since their induction, the Soul Eater was amongst if not the most independence loving tribe, tried to usurp other tribes in order to gain more power, their leader Shaka gathered like minded members of the Predators, turned renegade and founded the pirate realm and its lords, the Black Raiders. *'Steel Born' - Tanks and artillery, highly disciplined and militaristic, believe in the superiority of firepower, those with the big guns, joined the Black Raiders. *'Storm Claws' - The Storm Claws were one of the few Tribes to overtly hold on to older XXth Legion tactics, favouring explosive speed and aggression. Nonetheless, Mardumian influence permeated the Tribe, Chief Jomo Omonaku recruiting primarily from the ruined and overgrown hive cities of the world. Nothing of the Storm Claws is documented in the aftermath of the Battle of Mardum, but it is suspected that they were given shelter in anonymity by elements within the reforming Imperium, shedding their old identity to become a Cohort of the Second Founding. Specialist Units 'Striking Shadows' The Striking Shadow Teams were an elite formation of the Predators scout companies. Formerly belonging to what is known as Seeker Squads; they did not halt at them and had refined the concept further in the form of the Striking Shadow teams. Responsible for acts of assassination and sowing destruction behind enemy lines mid-battle, their high-impact strikes were carried out by small, elite infantry units. These supremely skilled infiltrators specialized in preparing conditions of all-consuming chaos among enemy's ranks sowing confusion by eliminating key officers, positions and assets. In doing so, the Striking Shadows brought about a tipping point in a battle or an entire campaign, the fulcrum upon which the fate of worlds was balanced. Furthermore, they were often tasked to hunt down specific targets deep within enemy lines min order avoid total destruction of a city if only one person was needed to be hunted down. Striking Shadows teams were made up of the most skilled infiltrators, and were sometime fielded by the direct control of a Spirit Walker. If that was the cast, these specially trained Shadow Walkers had to sacrifice their eye-sight in order to gain the precious spectral sight of their gene father to find their prey or to locate well protected enemies. They worked closely with the Fire Claws Squads in order to destroy the enemy's defense lines as quick and effective as possible. 'Deathsworn' The elite of the Predators Legion were those Legionnaires known as the Deathsworn, veterans chosen not simply for their martial skill, but also because of their mental resilience and capacity for discipline and self-sacrifice; for these were values their Primarch held in high esteem. Tested and proven worthy in the heat of countless battles, these men used their superhuman physiology, their superior arms and armor and the teachings of their gene father to embody the doctrines of their Legion like no other. As their Primarch Andezo wanted his Legion to be a flexible force, members of the Deathsworn could be found everywhere within the Legion, fulfilling numerous roles throughout the ranks, rather than concentrated into elitist cadres. Though exceptions did exist such as warrior bands of Deathsworn, clad in masterfully crafted Terminator armor, who were formed to act as shock troops, line breakers or the leading officers bodyguard. Covered in ancient Mardumian runes of old which should granted protection, it was also common that members of the Deathsworn enhanced their abilities with special combat drugs, most of them being of Mardumian origin. By charging in the most intense areas of a battle or in following their leader into enemy lines, they truly earned their names. 'Fire Claws' The Fire Claws support Squads of the XXth Legion were an elite formation utilized by the Predators Space Marine Legion. Amongst most of the Legiones Astartes, it was the principal role of Heavy Support Squads to saturate an area or target enemy armor with heavy ordnance obliterating an enemy through sheer weight of fire. The Fire Claws elevated these tactics almost to an art, wreaking havoc and destruction in such a horrendous form that none could stand their wrath. Formed from the finest marksman the Legion had to offer, they ensured their brothers advance by well placed bolt shell and explosive blast. To ensure their enemies annihilation, the Fire Claw Squads make use of weaponry which was of little use or eschewed by their brother Legions. Though eschewing bio-alchemy munitions well, the Sons of Andezo made heavily use of rad-weapons, volkite guns and fearsome void bombs. Though being treated with distrust by other Astartes forces, the Fire Claws were an important part of their overall strategy to hunt down their targets or to utterly destroy the Legions foes. And even the greatest critics could not deny their brutal but effective way of waging war. 'Umizo Heavy Support Elite' On Mardum, the Umlizo had been those men entrusted to flush out beasts from the jungle, and sow panic among enemy war parties. This they did with burning spear and arrows, as well as crude incendiaries and gourds of acid, taken from pitcher plants and tied to their spears or dropped from high trees. While the Great Crusade brought very different forms of war to the people of Mardum, these skills remained highly useful, and Andezo quickly devised an elite force which would embody them among the XXth Legion. With volkite calivers, flamers and heavy bolters, they were adept at both destroying enemy war machines and instilling terror in infantry. Flanked by veteran tactical squads, they advanced behind the first ranks of their kindred in open battle, splintering resistance wherever it was found. It was common for them to serve in the first wave of a XXth Legion attack, immediately dealing a severe blow to the morale of their opponents. 'Avikelu Terminator Elite' Named for the hide shields favoured on Mardum, the Avikelu were the favoured bodyguard unit of Andezo and many of the Legion's high command. Recruited from the ranks of veterans who showed both a talent for close combat and the ability to keep a level head in battle, their prowess often saw them fighting as line-breakers or shock troops, suddenly loosed to overwhelm an enemy's morale. While categorised as a single collection of companies in the Legion structure, in practice the Avikelu were distributed throughout a Tribe, often on a squad by squad basis. The temperament of different detachment could vary considerably, as officers came to favour a single unit for a particular role. The ornate runes and Mardumian trophies that covered their armour and evoked such fear in mortals often testify to their specific role, as well as notable actions. To the less experienced eye, the function of an individual warrior could be discerned by his weapons. Those accustomed to bodyguard duties tended to favour storm shields and the Ikwala spears common to the Legion. Their more aggressive kindred typically went without, arming themselves with lightning claws and chainfists to augment their already terrifying aspect. 'Isivun Assault Bikers' Andezo’s innovation of heavy cavalry had been instrumental to conquering the plains of Mardum, and he worked to replicate it in his Legion. Just as the cycle of war and technology had made swords and armour viable after millennia of obsolescence, so did the gifts of the Astartes make it possible to revive this ancient school of combat. Mounted on heavily armoured 'breacher' bikes, the Isivun biker squads were optimised to shatter infantry resistance, striking hard and fast with a durability that Sky Hunter vehicles lacked. Their members were warriors who displayed exceptional skill as riders, and a fierce love of the hunt. Often they would deploy as the initial thrust of an attack, although Andezo was also fond of holding them in reserve as his first waves engaged a foe. Set down by gunships, the Isivun would emerge at full tilt as if from nowhere, roaring forth to spread mayhem and panic as they tore through the ranks of their enemies. As a consequence of their tactics and the durability of their mounts, the Isivun were known to mount more exotic weapons than the standard heavy bolter, building on their already terrifying aspect. 'Legion Wargear' *'Wristblades' - *'Nihilum-pattern Grenade Launcher' - *Conda Inkosi- A cunningly stealthy tank-hunter, capable of bringing whole tank platoons low. War Disposition strength and materiel here Notable Campaigns ''' '''903.M30 - Da Green Admiral! (903.M30) The XXth Legion, the Arcane Blades, were tasked to hunt down the notorious Warboss Dar'Bossa, whose fleet were running rampant within the Imperium's borders. This is noted as one of the early XXth's few untainted victories. The Ulgion Rebellion (935. M30) Edit The world of Ulgion, only recently brought to Imperial Compliance, had declared open rebellion against the Imperium's rule, and the 8th fleet of the Ebon Blades, along with the Scions Hospitalier, was dispatched in response. What began as a surgical strike against the renegade government's palaces rapidly degenerated into a killing spree as the XXth Legion spilled into a hab-district. Spreading out across Ulgion's capital, the Ebon Blades began to slaughter all they encountered, to the extent that the preservation of the world's industrial capacity was put at risk. It was only halted when Antonidas of the Scions Hospitalier ordered them to stand down that the slaughter was halted. But even then the blood-bathed Legionaries of the XXth continued to defy him. Kallast, their Legion Master, stepped forward and challenged Antonidas, mocking the First Captain. Antonidas stood his ground and returned his counterpart's scorn. Finally Kallast demanded an honour duel - to the death. Against the protestations of his warriors, Antonidas accepted and, through his clinical self-control, bested and slew the master of the XXth. The Scions then faced down the Ebon Blades over the corpse of their master, ready to execute their peers should they not make an end to this senseless bloodshed. After a moment of hesitation, the XXth caved in and returned to their ships. Antonidas never referred to the incident in public, regarding the act of kinslaying as a necessary but grave sin. The Jurios Compliance (942. M30) The Skyspear Tribe brought the proud armies of Jurios low through the arts of their Shaman order, turning the minds of their commanders to suicidal despair before advancing to crush their disordered armies. Castigation of Umare (945.M30) The war for the worlds of Umare saw the Predators war against Eldar and their human allies. During this conflict, Andezo could see human souls being devoured by wraiths (and is confused to see them here as well) while Eldar were spared. Waaagh! 'eadbursta The Iron Bears and Predators confronted and destroyed this Ork Waaagh! on Yutan III. The Orks had an unusually large number of Weirdboy psyker-elements, and the Librarians of the Predators used their strange Warpcraft to wield the enemy's power against them. The Fourth Rangdan Xenocide When the hideous power of the Rangdan emerged for the last time, the Predators took a hand in the carnage. Andezo would be known afterwards as one of the Imperium's "Four Horsemen". The Quarith Crusade (993-9.M30) The Predators committed in bulk to the Qarith Crusade, mounting a campaign of ambushes and brutal system-kill operations behind enemy lines. In the early years of the war this did much to aid the beleaguered Steel Legion and the Crimson Lions, then embroiled in holding off the xenos. They fought with the same ruthlessness in the Imperial counter-offensive which followed, scouring dozens of worlds. In the aftermath of the Triumph, the Predators were spread across the Imperium to hunt down rebels, renegades and other such threats in the Imperial border regions. Alkaraxx the Twice-Born (042.M31) Andezo and his sons fight alongside the Lightning Bearers against a powerful chaos cult. Andezo and Icarion fight against its leader, Alkaraxx, who ascends to a demon prince. Alkaraxx reveals that mankind is nothing more than prey for them and as long as there are humans left, the demons will live on. Shocked by this revelation, Andezo tries to speak with Icarion about it but he only earns silence. The Day of Revelation (044.M31) The Day of The Insurrectionists under Icarion declare their independence. The Bloodlord tribe turns traitor as well and starts a campaign of bloodshed and genocide. It takes several years until they finally faced their end in form of their former brothers under Andezo himself. The Culling of Strathus Secundus (067.M31) While searching for answers regarding the Wraiths of his homeworld and the demons he had encountered and with the fights against his own sons and the demon Alkaraxx in mind, Andezo discovers a spreading cult of Nurgle called the Royal Apothecary, led by a man called Putress. Along with members of the XIXth Legion, the Scions Hospitalier, the Predators declare the cult as their next target. On Strathus Secundus, the loyal sons of the Emperor can detain the last members of the cult. The battle which will later be known as the Culling of Strathus Secundus played a crucial role in the Predators' betrayal and siding with Icarion. The Censure and Fall (068.M31) When the Emperor heard of the events of Strathus Secundus, he called out for Andezo. Censured and given a warning to not follow such a path again, Andezo was allowed to return to his sons. Though the censure did not matter much to him. Putress was still out there and needed to be judged. Andezo swore to stop him despite all odds, despite all sacrifices that might have to be made. As more reports came in about futile researches of his sons concerning a way to deal with chaos and saving mankind, Andezo finally gave up that hope. All what was left was the conviction that mankind itself was marked by the dark gods. Why else were the Eldar and Orks spared from the demons' hunger? He secretly contacted the only person beside his father who could answer him his questions: the arch traitor, Icarion. What exactly happened next is only known to the unlikely brothers, but whatever it was, it led to the subsequent joining of the XXth Legion to the traitors' cause. The Siege of Terra (071.M31) Icarion gathers all of his forces for a final and all-deciding blow against the Emperor. In the aftermath, the Predators are largely shattered. The Scattering (072.M31) Defeated and greatly diminished in numbers, the beaten Predators return to their homeworld of Mardum. There, they meet with the Phantom Blades, the last terran born of the XXth Legion. On Mardum, the few remaining leaders of the Legion start to argue about their fate. While Thoruk and his men are still loyal and proposes to search for another way of defeating the evil forces of the Dark Pantheon and a way of redemption, Shaka and many of those born on Mardum believe that the only way left for them was to follow the path Andezo had chosen. Andezo himself realized what he had done and falls to the whispers of the Dark Gods. Becoming unhinged, he declared that mankind has to be extinguish in order to end the reign of chaos. Suddenly, Adewale appeared and confronted Andezo, condemning him for treason. A duel between the once beloved brothers occurred, while the two sides of the Legion fight against each other. In the end, Adewale tricked Andezo and caged them both with a stasis bomb. The Predators under Shaka retreat and scatter into smaller, renegade warbands. The still loyal members under Thoruk, who had not participated in the Siege of Terra, purged Mardum, assaulted the forges of the Shattered Worlds, took what they could need and resettled on Aukkaja within the Domain of Storms. Years later, they emerge from there as a loyal Blackshield force known as the Storm Blades. Thus, the XXth ceased to exist. 'Legion Gene-Seed' 'Legion Beliefs' The Predators' beliefs drew on the disparate cultures of Mardum as much as they did Imperial martial tradition, with their Shaman holding an unusual amount of authority within the Legion. One particular tendency noted among the Predators was a pathological aversion to hubris, the shameful memory of Kallast lingering long in their collective psyche. To this end every Mardumian aspirant was hunted down by a Shaman and his retinue, and particularly brutal trials were de rigor in their recruitment. 'Legion Combat Doctrine' 'Notable Predators' *'Andezo Sambedi' - Andezo Sambedi, 'The Death Beyond Sight', the 'Last Son', Baron of Mardum, the 'Shadow Hunter', he is the Primarch of the XXth Legion. *'Adewálé' - Known as 'The Little Brother', 'The First Son' and 'The Stalker'. Adewálé was a Mardumian-born right hand of Andezo, beloved and respected by the whole Legion, he was the one to unite the two factions of Mardumian and Terran-born Astartes and turned them into a suitable Legion. Formerly the IzinDuna of the Ebonspear tribe. He died during a battle against Legion, since then, Andezo was not the same anymore. *'Cassus' - Master of the XXth Legion after Kallast's death, Cassus was responsible for reorganising the Legion and salvaging it as a fighting force. *'Thoruk' - Known as 'The Hidden Blade and 'The Son of Terra', Thoruk was formerly the first Praetorian of the XXth Legion (then known as Arcane Blades), now he is the IzinDuna of the Phantom Blades tribe, which consists of all remaining Legionaries from Terra. *'Shaka' - IzinDuna of the Soul Eater tribe, founder of the Black Raiders. *'Durot' - IzinDuna of the Black Conda tribe. *'Odanka' - IzinDuna of the Bloodlord tribe, the first traitor. *'Valakar' - Known as 'The Primarch's Blade', the 'Shadow Man' or 'Dalari', Valakar is a silent champion of the XXth Legion. He only speaks when it's necessary. He enjoys his role as the embodiment of his Legion's skill at killing. Eschewed by his own brothers, he walks the path of a loner, a man, who became his Primarch's killing blow. In this, he became a brooding character, one who stood for the ideals of the Emperor and his Primarch. In becoming a living weapon and bearer of the Legions philosophy, he surprisingly joined the ranks of the Black Conda tribe after the disastrous outcome of the battle of Mardum, in which his beloved Legion tore itself apart. *'Legba' - A Shaman at the time of the Insurrection's beginning, Legba would come through the Insurrection with many dark paths yet to tread. In the millennia to come he would forge a dreadful legend for himself as the Abyssal Herald and Deiciomancer, one of the founding lords of the Black Legion. *'Kallast' - Infamous for many massacres, this Legion Master would ironically pass into legend for his death rather than any of his kills. When Antonidas of the Scions Hospitalier confronted him, Kallast's response was to engage him in a duel to the death. At length he was slain, the first Legion Master to die by the hand of a fellow Space Marine. Among the Predators Kallast's name became a byword for hubris, the emblem of the folly which the new XXth sought to avoid. *'Jomo Omonaku' - Chief of the Storm Claws Tribe, and one of the foremost Predators to remain loyal in the terrible years of the Conflagration and Corruption. 'Legion Fleet' * Baron of Death'' (Gloriana-class battleship)' - Andezo's flagship * '''Screaming Fist - A 10 kilometre-long battleship, the Screaming Fist was the flagship of the Skyspear Tribe * Umbral Nychus '- The flagship of the Stormclaws, constructed over Hephaesta * '''Apex Hunter '(Battleship)' - Odanka's flagship * '''Arcane Strike' (Battleship) - commanded by Thoruk * Death Beyond Sight * Cyclone'' (Grand Cruiser) '- flagship of the Stormclaws until the ''Umbral Nychus ''was completed * '''Talon of the Outer Dark' * Raptora Noctis * '''''Pale Spear * Lurker * Heart of Mardum * Hunting Spirit * Atavist * Shattermaw * Void Fang * In Darkness Dwells * Primal Instinct 'Legion Relics' 'Legion Appearance' 'Legion Colours' The Predators primarily wear black armour covered in carved, ancient Mardumian glyphs and runes to protect against Wraiths (the Mardumian word for daemons). Each tribe is known to have their own unique symbol. The trim of the shoulder pauldron trim indicates the different tribes (i.e. Brown=Black Conda, Dark Green=Phantom Blades, ect.). The Predators tend to decorate their battle-plate with lots of bones, skulls and tokens of Mardumian carnivores taken from their homeworld as well as those of their slain enemies. leaders paint their faces in harsh, white colors. Most of them shave their heads, some of them (especially of the tribes living in the jungles and swamps) keep their hair, forming them into dreadlocks. Bears are favored by them, though not all (especially the Terran born) practise them. Can either be short or long enough to braid them. 'Legion Badge' 'Notable Quotes' Feel free to add your own 'By the Predators' Feel free to add your own 'About the Predators' Gallery File:Ebon_Blade_Assault_Legionary_2.png|A pre-Reunification XXth Legion ('Ebon Blades') Assault Legionary File:Predators.png|Predators Legion iconography File:Predators_Legionary.jpg|Predators Legion appearance Category:Legions